to build a home
by Cheshire Chameleon
Summary: Fifty prompts, fifty points in time after S3, and fifty moments chronicling Zuko and Katara.


_Writing long pieces doesn't really come naturally to me so this was a fun challenge to try. Also, I apologize in advance for how cheesy some of these are lol asdfghkl_

 _Playlist for this fic was mostly: So Sad, So Sad by Varsity, To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra (for which this fic was named), and a whole lot of Beatles' songs_

* * *

 _#01 - Ring_

"It was my mother's," he says simply, slipping the thin band, devoid of large stones or fancy jewels, onto her finger and her heart catches in her throat with the weight of his trust.

 _#02 - Hero_

This is what they will go down as in scrolls of history and anytime he doubts that about himself, she will tell him fiercely that heroes are made, not born.

 _#03 - Memory_

When Zuko and Katara see them—Izumi, Kya, Lu Ten, and Ursa—shrieking and running around the palace halls, they know that they have not forgotten the past and neither will the present.

 _#04 - Box_

There's a small one under their bed, one that contains everything for Izumi when she's ready to know about the war—not for today, but for when the time comes.

 _#05 - World_

They were going to tell everyone else—really, they were; it just happens that everyone else finds out by way of Toph finally having enough of it at dinner and throwing her hands up in the air and announcing, "Will you two _please_ shut the doors behind you? I can hear everything you two have been doing and I think I might have gone deaf."

 _#06 - Run_

Katara leaves the room afterwards to get dessert and then he is alone with Sokka and Hakoda, face paling and with nowhere to go as they start asking him what _exactly_ Toph meant by her statement.

 _#07 - Wings_

His favorite moments are when he is free, and rare as those moments are, they often involve laughing with Katara until their stomachs hurt and he feels light enough to float like Appa.

 _#08 - Cold_

When conflict arises between them, Zuko knows better than to let these walls rise till their visions frost and they cannot see each other clearly anymore.

 _#09 - Red_

Blue is still her primary shade, but she wears the sunlight of the Fire Nation well, almost like a second skin.

 _#10 - Drink_

Even after all these years, she forgets how the Fire Nation cooks love their fire flakes and will promptly proceed to gulf down an entire pitcher of water every time while simultaneously sending Zuko scathing looks as he turns red trying to hide his laughter.

 _#11 - Midnight_

When she can't sleep, she takes refuge in the palace gardens and he will follow suit, plopping himself down next to her.

 _#12 - Temptation_

It's the subtle shifts in her movements, the tucking of a piece of hair behind her ear, the skirt of her dress exposing a flash of bronze skin, and the blue of her eyes in a sea of red—he is a unwitting victim of her charm.

 _#13 - View_

The Fire Lord's chambers have the best view in the entire palace, overlooking the royal gardens and welcoming the dawn sunrise, but he finds that waking up to Katara's smile is still the best sight across the Four Nations.

 _#14 - Gravity_

Moments like these make getting up a momentous task, almost as if the greater force of the universe is anchoring him back to bed.

 _#15 - Silk_

He gets down on one knee and holds up the necklace to her, the words slipping out of his mouth smoothly but surely.

 _#16 - Cover_

He catches her staring forlornly at the full moon and her hands back and forth, and so he draws the curtains.

 _#17 - Promise_

They don't have to ask; the answer will always be one hand latching on to the other's outstretched one.

 _#18 - Dream_

They sleep with their hands intertwined, ready to tether the other back to reality, should nightmares make an appearance for either of them.

 _#19 - Candle_

Perhaps it's about giving a little of yourself to help the ones around you burn a little brighter.

 _#20 - Talent_

For Iroh's birthday, he brings out a long-forgotten possession, dusty and faded but recognizable nonetheless as his Tsungi horn.

 _#21 - Silence_

A week after the war, they meet at The Jade Dragon; they say nothing but find each other in a tight embrace, her head sliding into the crook of his shoulder and his head resting on top of hers.

 _#22 - Journey_

They've come a long way since Avatar searches and looking for waterbending teachers, the main difference being that now, neither of them have to walk alone.

 _#23 - Fire_

Like a fire, Iroh will tell him, love is something that must and can be constantly kindled; even as the fire becomes dying embers, sometimes a soft blow of air is all it takes for the flames to roar back to life.

 _#24 - Strength_

After a hard day, hers lies in her ability to hold him together when all he wants is to fall apart.

 _#25 - Mask_

They retire theirs after Izumi is born, but sometimes, if the moon is high and smiling down at them, Fire Nation children whisper of a woman in a flowing red dress and a man with single-edged swords.

 _#26 - Ice_

"I used to make these for Sokka all the time," she says, handing him a creamy substance in a cone which he stares at dubiously. "...Frozen milk?"

 _#27 - Fall_

"Hey, Katara—Hey, Katara—Nice weather we're having—'Tara, would you want to-" He stares at his reflection in the mirror, then hopelessly at the pile of unsent letters in his hand with the realization that he is way in too deep.

 _#28 - Forgotten_

Some are taken aback and maybe even flinch when they see the Fire Lord for the first time but she often forgets the scar is even there; it has become just another part of Zuko that she's grown to love.

 _#29 - Dance_

Surprisingly enough, all it takes is a few familiar notes and a little too much fire whiskey and Katara laughing to get him on his feet; as it turns out, he still remembers all the steps the royal dance instructor taught him at age 12.

 _#30 - Body_

They move in circles at first, water dodging fire and fire sidestepping water until they know each other's strengths and weaknesses on the battlefield, and this serves as the foundation for their ability to move synchronously, almost like a single entity.

 _#31 - Sacred_

Saturday evenings are always reserved for their weekly sparring. Always.

 _#32 - Farewells_

It's a lot harder to say goodbye to your significant other when they insist on coming with you everywhere; the servants know by now that when Zuko or Katara say they're leaving, what it really means it that they have to pack supplies for two.

 _#33 - Hurricane_

There is no place in the Caldera big enough for anyone, least of all him, to hide from Katara's rage; he knows this from experience.

 _#34 - Formal_

Katara notices that whenever he speaks to diplomats and his council, he is always formal but makes a conscious effort to never be cold.

 _#35 - Fever_

She stays by his bedside until he can sit up by himself, cancels all his meetings for the day, shoos away all his meddling advisers and makes him some excellent tea; he's never been more thankful.

 _#36 - Laugh_

She is of the South but has a natural warmth to her; Katara is a natural woman of the people, and whatever doubts his council had about her vanish the minute they see her on the streets, talking to all of his people, from royalty to commoners to workers, and laughing like she belongs here.

 _#37 - Lies_

"It's okay to miss her, Zuko. She's still your sister," she tells him gently and for the first time in months since the Agni Kai, he stops lying to himself—he does miss Azula.

 _#38 - Forever_

The war teaches them plenty about the temporary and ephemeral, so they learn to find solace in the quiet moments, the small ones that seem like they could be put in a bottle to keep forever.

 _#39 - Overwhelmed_

The war also teaches them that they can't save everyone; as Fire Lord neither can he, a fact that crushes him when he sees war-torn areas and recovering civilians, but the best he can do is try.

 _#40 - Whisper_

They are younger shells of themselves when they yell, they are their diplomatic selves with their heads held high when they speak, but they are at their truest, stripped of all titles and formalities, as just Zuko and Katara when they whisper to each other in lieu of talking as the night turns dark.

 _#41 - Wait_

Both their break-ups are fresh, and so Zuko uses the time being to reflect first; if need be, he'd be willing to wait as long as Pakku did for Gran-gran.

 _#42 - Talk_

They give Izumi the talk when she turns 13—no, not _that_ talk, but the one that really matters—the one where they sit on her bed and with arms around her, remind her that she is not the past of her nation nor is she the legacy of her ancestors.

 _#43 - Search_

Somewhere along the road they realize some things are better left in the past, some mysteries of the war better left unsolved.

 _#44 - Breathe_

Katara pulls him into the rain until they are both doused and wet and grinning and they look up to the sky and let out a collective breath of contentment.

 _#45 - Eclipse_

And every time the ghosts of his haunt him like the moon covering the sun, she reminds him that his light shines from within.

 _#46 - Music_

Her voice is not as sweet as her mother's and his Tsungi horn-playing skills are not Iroh's, but the beauty of the music they make comes from their harmony.

 _#47 - Highway_

There is no shortcut to the finish line, no fast path to healing, but the promise of the light at the end of the tunnel is what keeps them going.

 _#48 - Unknown_

The inner workings of his mind are a deep abyss to her at times and when she finds him staring into a corner of his office, she is always tempted to ask him what's on his mind.

 _#49 - Lock_

As Fire Lady, she is expected to develop several pastimes, but her favorite one is braiding Zuko's hair, weaving the locks that he's grown out to abide with tradition.

 _#50 - Hope_

He takes her hand and hearts racing, they start running; this is their beginning and they are shining bright and golden and unfolding.


End file.
